‘See a commitment’: Charlotte leaders work to improve image of uptown

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Public safety perception seems to remain top of mind for city officials in Charlotte, and their latest strategy involves making minor upgrades in the central business district.

Those upgrades include refreshing Tryon Street by replacing old benches and garbage cans, as well as removing old pay phones that, for the most part, are inoperable.

There will also be improvements to street lighting, such as upgrading bulbs or identifying areas that need additional lighting. Neil Patel, owner of Valhalla Pub and Eatery in Brevard Court, welcomed the enhancements.

“Just keeps the city vibrant, you know, and keeps people coming downtown, and I think that is just overall good for the businesses and the employees that work Uptown,” said Patel.

The brick-lined street was the scene of a fatal shooting last month that stemmed from a fight a neighboring establishment.

Patel added that he has been happy to see an increase in police, which CMPD rolled out earlier this month. His hope is that the initiatives are here to stay. According to members of the council, they want these changes to be permanent.

“I think they want to see a commitment, a longstanding commitment to this, that it’s not just for a week or a month or a season, that this is the new state of Uptown,” said Mayor Pro Tem Dante Anderson.

And with City Council elections and a vote on a sales tax increase about a week away, how citizens vote will likely provide a snapshot of what the city as a whole makes of the changes.